Sharknado 2: The Second One ramps up the action of the first film but so too the campiness and cheesiness.

Once again, Ian Ziering is the best thing on-screen. Zaniness can only get you so far and with a weaker lead star, the Sharknado films would undoubtedly be not nearly as successful as they are. Ziering is a great actor who whilst able to wink at the audience every now and again, is still the serious emotional centre of the film.

There are a few new additions worth noting as well. The new cast led by the Kari Wuhrer and Sugar Ray are entertaining enough whilst the increased threat of having one Sharknado collide with another to make a super Sharknado is a great way to up the ante from the first film’s finale. The celebrity cameos are unnecessary but fun (Oh hey, it’s Kurt Angle and Biz Markie!) and the degree of shark related insanity reaches a whole new level of fun.

Something that really worked well for me was the inclusion of real TV and News presenters to create an illusion of normalcy and reality in the otherwise insane circumstances. The only time this doesn’t work is when the characters are rushing down the streets away from the floods and Sharknados and you can see New Yorkers in the background casually going about their daily business. It’s jarring but it’s only a minor gripe.

However, my major gripe with the film is that the last 10 minutes or so turn into a callously disrespectful montage of sharks being brutally and graphically murdered. I know they’re only CGI but it’s not the sharks’ fault they were flung into the heart of New York. The movie treats sharks like 80’s action movies treated foreign enemy soldiers – like they’re inherently evil, emotionless blood balloons that are fun to explode. I would love to see a Sharknado film told from the sharks’ perspective.

Clearly more concerned with being a cultural phenomenon than a creature feature, Sharknado 2: The Second One sacrifices tension for self-awareness which can leave an over-cheesy aftertaste. However a great cast and some standout moments make the experience an entertaining and memorable one.